Louisiana
State
The talent is stacked three-deep down in Death Valley,
with too much size and speed for anyone on the Bayou Bengal’s
slate to handle. They spread the ball amongst Bowe, Davis
and Doucet evenly, and if Xavier Carter’s role is
amped up like we expect, this world-class sprinter’s
back will be all that opponents remember. Add in TE Keith
Zinger (4.6 speed in the 40 to go with his 6-4, 260lb
frame) and it is no wonder their pass efficiency ranking
way outpaces their pure passing numbers. The boys from
Red Stick are never out of a game with this corps.
Southern
California
Not quite as deep as LSU, the dynamic duo of Steve Smith
and Dwayne Jarrett are good enough (even without Reggie
Bush) to land the Trojans at No.2. All-American Jarrett
(6-5) had the third-most snarls in I-A while leading
the land in TD catches. Smith, though, had a higher
average per catch and can separate from even the tightest
coverage(s) at will. Unless foes have two shutdown corners,
there is really no chance to control them. Backups McFoy
and Turner, along with TE Fred Davis, present their
own matchup problems for opposing schemes and make this
unit only stoppable if an injury rash hits.
Texas
Tech
They normally open with (at least) three receivers in
Lubbock, and each of the Red Raider’s returning
(starters) trio had 60+ catches in ’05 to make
all-conference. Johnson, Filani and Hicks are a handful,
but factor in H-Back Amendola and their list of qualified
backups to get why the “Air Raid” offense
succeeds year after year. Forget anyone who argues that
a new QB means a step back. Coach Leach has proven that
it doesn’t matter who is throwing the ball –
Tech will boast a/the top passing offense, regardless,
and 2006 will be no exception with this bunch on the
other end. All four returning receivers on this roster
made All-Big 12 last fall. Whether the system is the
reason or not, this is quite an insane accomplishment.
Notre
Dame
Jeff Samardzija and Rhema McKnight are arguably as good
a tandem as any, but with little proven worth behind
them, the Irish land fourth. Rhema McKnight (top pass
catcher in 2003 and 2004) returns from injury looking
strong, and Samardzija stepped up in his absence (with
seemingly super-glued mitts) to become the best receiver
no one had heard of in/until 2005. Losing Stovall and
Shelton will soon be forgotten as names like Grimes,
Hord and Anastasio benefit from Weis’ genius.
Look for an increased role from TE John Carlson to open
everything up for Quinn, a classic Weis ploy. This dimension
will prove why South Bend earns their top team ranking
from so many.
Michigan
Michigan - Senior speedster Steve Breaston leads an
otherwise young corps that will poignantly impact foes
in Michigan’s run-first approach. Much like Penn
State a year ago, youngsters played somewhat of an important
impact. Mario Manningham has the wares to become the
next household name in Ann Arbor. Adrian Arrington and
Doug Dutch also assure this group of being tough to
cover for the next few years. Buoyed by all-Big Ten
TE Tyler Ecker, the Wolverines can easily sneak behind
opposing back sevens which have been methodically drawn
up to stop their potent rushing attack…big aerial
results will again follow.
Just
Missed:
Florida, Iowa State, Ohio State,
Penn State
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